MAJOR. 



MO* party <uloured. and there are varieties with blood red and even 

 purple grain*. A plant jprorndly bears two full can, the grain* of 

 wtuoh Tar; gmlly in number ; tome of the Urgwt ean in America 

 contain at leait 900 grain.. 



Th:i plant in lU wild rtate it met with in Paraguay, according to 

 Attfucte de St. HiUirc. It was aUo found on the continent of North 

 America bj the European* on their arrival there. 



It term* tint there U a particular Una on the continent of Europe 

 north of which the maize dove not thrive. To the louth of thu line, 

 which faesii through Nancy, formerlv the capital of Lorraine in France, 

 it ha* in a great measure superseded wheat and rye a* the common 

 produce of the land. The bread made from maize U not so palataMe 

 ai wheat or rye bread ; but by mixing it in certain proportioim wit I) 

 wheat it make* a Tery pleasant food. In the United State* of North 

 America, Indian ourn form* almost the only bread eaten by many of 

 the people; and in the slave^Ute* it i* the only bread that the 

 negroes eat. It U not however in the ahape of baked bread that maize 

 i* mo*t generally u*ed in Europe, but in boiled tnrase* and aoupi, as 

 pea* are with us : it U not only the ripe grain which ia eaten, but the 

 ear in every state, from that of a green vegetable to an unripe corn. 

 It U builcd, .towt.il, and baked : it U a *ub*Utute for cabbage or green- 

 pea* in it* early stage ; and i* used in *ome way or other to it* com- 

 plete maturity. Nothing can be better than ripe maize to fatten hog* 

 . r ;-.uliry with ; and the young stem cut down quite green give* one 

 of the beit and moot abundant varieties of green food for cattle. 



A plant which give* ouch a return cannot be expected to ripen its 

 grain* in poor land, or without attentive cultivation. The land uiu^t 

 be naturally fertile, or made so by art ; it must be well prepared to 

 receive the *eed, and sufficient manure rniut be given to recruit it. A 

 light, moi*t, ami warm soil euit* this plant beat. It thrive* well on 

 laud broken up from grass, a* ia the case with most plant*. As it U 

 alway* aown in row*, and the plant* thinned to a considerable distance, 

 the interval* may easily be ploughed, or stirred with the hone-hoe, by 

 which mean* the weed* are kept down, and the earth fertilised by 

 exposure to the sir. The aeed should be taken from the largest and 

 best formed ears ; those at the end should be rejected, as less perfect. 

 They should not be taken off until they are wanted for sowing, and 

 then iteeped in water to soften them. If the aeed were steeped in 

 brine anil dried with quicklime, a* is usually done with wheat, it might 

 probably bo advantageous, as this groin U subject to smut and brand 

 a* well as wheat ; but this ia not often done. The time for sowing 

 maize in the south of France I* the month of April ; farther north it is 

 sown later for fear of frost, which would entirely destroy the plant on 

 it* first appearance above ground : this is one of the reasons why it 

 could not safely be aown in England before the middle or end of May, 

 and it could scarcely be. expected to ripen it* seeds before the winter's 

 frost set in. 



The distance between the rows of maize varies from two to four feet. 

 In good ground the latter distance ha* produced the heaviest crop. 

 The seed is sometimes sown in the furrow after the plough, and some- 

 time* put in with a dibble. The latter seems the beat way, and, a* the 

 row* are wide and the seeds need not be put in nearer than a foot 

 part in the rows, an acre will be soon dibbled by hand. Two or three 

 inches deep is sufficient to make the aeed germinate readily. In worm 

 moist climates the plant is very soon above ground. In fine weather, 

 and when the seed ha* been steeped, it will be above ground in five or 

 six days. When the plant* are three or four inches out of the ground, 

 and no trust i* feared, they are thinned put to two feet apart, and in 

 Tery rich soils three feet i* better. In thi* one three or four ear* may 

 be expected to ripen on each stalk. In thin soils on a retentive nibsoiJ 

 UM earth is raised in ridges, or, what U better, in mound*, by crossing 

 the ridgm with the plough, and three or four seed* are put into each 

 hillock, which are two or three feet apart. A* the plant* rise, only 

 one, or at most two are left in each hillock, and the earth ut carefully 

 moulded up to the stems ; thus a deep dry bed i* provided for the 

 plant, and there i* sufficient moisture from the impervious subsoil. 

 This method might perhaps be adopted with advantage in England, in 

 experiment* on maize, where the situation admit* of it* cultivation. 

 Maize, however sown, must be repeatedly hoed. At the first hoeing 

 tike plant* which are too close are pulled up, and where there is a 

 deficiency they are planted in : at least, thi* i* the practice in Km ..]- ; 

 but in America UM general practice is to plant fresh seeds in the vacant 

 phase. When the plant* are a foot high there ia a second hoeing, the 

 weed* are then tut np, and some earth is drawn toward* the plant* 

 and raised around the stems. The reason of thi* is, that there are 

 several joint* very near each other at the bottom of the item, and from 

 each of these fibre* strike out into the soil which U brought into 

 contact with it, and form additional rooU to the plant, a* the} 

 UM crown of UM root* of wheat. When the flower* are ready to 

 expand, a third hoeing I* given, to kill weeds and open the surface of 

 UM *.il (lightly. The earth which i* raised around the stem* should 

 be flattened a little at top, and even slightly hollowed out near the 

 Ism, to collect the dews and rains in dry seasons. If any tiller* or 

 boot* appear from the bottom of UM stem they should be carefully 

 removal as they dimmish UM nourishment which should gn to the 

 main stem. A fourth hoeing and earthing up, at the time when the 

 seed begins to swell, is useful, but seldom given, for fear of unnecessary 

 In many countries they sow or plant various vegetables in 



h interval* between UM row* of maize, of which the most advantageous 

 are turnip* and cabbage*, which may be sown or planted between the 

 maize, after the last hoeing. French hams, except they be dwarf*, are 

 Dot so proper, u they shade the maise and prevent it* maturity. In 

 varm climate* cucumbers and melons are often raised them In 

 Carolina, where they boo their maize only twice, a running weed springs 

 up rapidly, which is much relished by cattle, and i* out several time* 

 jcfore winter. 



The time of flowering i* very critical for the maize : a cold damp 

 atmosphere may make a great part of the crop fail. In situations 

 whore thi* i* to be feared, it is safe to sow maize at several time*, with 

 a week's interval : thu* the risk ia divided, and it i* not so likely that 

 .he whole crop will be in flower in ungeuial weather. 



The male flowers, just as they expand, are excellent food for < 

 and it ia usual in many places to cut off a great portion of ih.ni f<ir 

 thi* purpose. If it be done Judiciously, there i* no danger, provided a 

 ufficient number of male flower* be left to impregnate the females : 

 one in a square of about fifteen or twenty feet is thought sufficient. 

 After the seed i* set it is customary, in many place*, to cut off the 

 whole top of the item, with the upper leaves, and give them to the 

 cattle ; but this i* by uo means to be recommended : the wound thus 

 made bleed*, and much of the cap i* lost. Beside*, the upper leave! 

 serve to elaborate the sap and assist its circulation ; they should there- 

 fore be left on as long a* they are green, and other food found for the 

 cattle. 



All plants which stand too close or have no ears upon them should 

 be pulled up and given to the cows, to give air to the rest ; all those also 

 that ore Very late and have abortive ears should be taken up, a- tl.ey 

 would at all event* not ripen their seed. The young ear is preserved 

 a* a pickle, like young cucumbers : when a little advanced it ia roasted 

 on the cool*, or before the fire, and U pleasant to eat : in the green 

 state, when the grain* are still soft and milky, it is boiled, and used a* 

 a vegetable, and ia considered a delicacy. 



Maize is subject to diseases similar to those of wheat and 

 grain J and it ia supposed, oa observed before, that the steeping and 

 liming may prevent them in a great measure. 



When the maize is fully ripe, which it is not until the sheath of the 

 ear opens and appear* quite dead, the ears are twisted off by hand and 

 laid in a dry place ; they arc turned occasionally that the sheath may 

 not become musty, and are then stored in a dry place : the seed keeps 

 better so than when it is separated. The taking off the seeds from the 

 ear is a laborious operation ; it may be done by the flail, but i* most 

 easily accomplished by on old blunt sword or iron hoop fixed over a 

 tub. The ears ore rubbed hard over thi* edge, and the seeds fall into 

 the tub. They have a simple machine in America, which does the 

 work quickly. The core or rachis i* only fit for burning in the oven, 

 The leaven are gathered for fodder a short time before the ears are 

 pulled. In America and in Italy they stuff mattresses with the dry 

 sheath, which makes a cool and elastic bed. 



All animal* ore fond of maize, especially horse*, pigs, and poultry ; 

 it gives the flesh of the two last a peculiarly fine flavour. The most 

 profitable way to use maize in fattening .tnimnJa u to grind it into 

 meal, and mix it with warm water into a pottage ; anil, lor horse*, to 

 soak it twenty-four hour* in water before they are fed with it. In 

 the dry *tate it i* so hard that it wear* their teeth, and in young 

 hones u apt to produce blindness by the exertion of the muscle* of the 

 jaw in chawing it. 



One of the most important uses of maize in Europe i* to sow it 

 thick, to be cut green a* food for cows, oxen, and sheep. In a proper 

 Himste there i* no plant which give* so great a mas* of green food as 

 maize. The produce is most abundant and nutritive. The largest 

 varieties should bo chosen. The seed may be sown in drills in A j i ,i. 

 and in September a crop might be mown, which would give admiruMo 

 fodder for every kind of cattle. It i* said to exhaust the land ; Imt 

 what will not exhaust it, more or leas, which gives much nourishment / 

 Maize will well rupay the manure which may be required to restore 

 the humus it has consumed. If it i* sown early, a second crop 

 may be raised the same year ; for it docs not spring up again, like 

 grass, after being cut. Where the laud admits of irrigation, the growth 

 of the maize is most rapid and luxuriant. Tho timo to cut it is v> hen 

 the male flowers ore just appearing out of the sheath in which they are 

 emulnped in the early stage of their growth. It maybe dried into 

 hay, and will keep good for a couple of years; but in thi* state it must 

 bo bruised or soaked when given to cattle, a* the stems get M-I\ l,..i.l 

 in drying ; they may however be cut, a* the cane-tops are in the mig.ir- 

 plantations. 



MAJUU (Latin), Greater, in music, a term applicable to the imjK-r- 

 fect concords, but chiefly to the interval of the 3rd. It is also used to 

 distinguish the mode which take* a major or sharp 3rd, from that 

 having a minor or flat one. The majvr mode ho* always a greater 3rd 

 that i*, a 3rd consisting of two tones ; and the minor mode lias 

 always a minor 3rd that is, a 3rd consisting of a tone and a semitone. 

 [Ki.i ; .Mont; TIIIUU.] 



MAJOK, n field ollicer next in rank below a lieutenant-col in I, and 

 immediately superior to the captain* of troops in a regiment of calv.-ii y , 

 or to th captains of companies in a battalion of infantry. liin duty is 

 to superintend the exercises of the. regiment or battalion, and, on parade 

 or in action, to carry into affect the orders of the colonel The major 



